THE YEAR I LOST MY MIND

Estranged from her mother and emotionally distanced from her husband, Beth needs to find…..herself.  She has everything; a husband who loves her, a beautiful home, her own thriving business, but something is lacking, something she desperately needs… to find what will fill the core of her soul.  Though this is not a sad tale, Ms. Rettstatt steals in and pierces your callous-covered feelings and gives you an understanding of what you hid from yourself. You will shed tears from your own revelation. Beth finds a long hidden talent, painting, that frees her to soar.  The readers become Beth and find their own wings. If you read nothing else this month you MUST read The Year I Lost My Mind.  Tolstoy can wait, this cannot.  On a scale of 1-5 this rates a 7.

A. Dee Carey   The Fox Lady   www.foxladycarey.com Foxpaw Reviews  www.careyfoxlady.googlepages.com

The Year I Lost My Mind is another fine novel by Linda Rettstatt.  Linda has a special talent for writing stories that reach deep into a woman’s heart, and linger long after she’s finished the final chapter. The Year I Lost My Mind is the story of Beth Rutledge and the year she turned fifty.  Beth awakes that special morning feeling insignificant, invisible; in a rut, and it has little to do with the non-special plans her husband of twenty-six years has made to celebrate her birthday. It takes a strong woman to say to a disapproving world, “I need time off,” but that’s what Beth did.  She took a giant step back and spent a good chunk of her year sorting out what she wanted to keep from her old life, because with or without family approval, she was ready for change.  Any woman who has experienced turning fifty will appreciate and possibly recognize herself in Beth.  The Year I Lost My Mind is another keeper by Linda Rettstatt, a fresh new voice in women’s fiction. Reviewed by Kimberley Dehn www.kimberley-dehn.com

I was drawn in by the title of this book, and held captive by the story that unfolded. This is the tale of a woman's coming of age. The fact that it happens on her fiftieth birthday makes it even more engaging.  Beth Rutledge wakes up the morning of this landmark birthday to discover the feeling within her that she's become invisible. That the passion for who she is as a person has gone out of her life. She has a good marriage, a great husband, two nice kids, and her own successful interior design business. But something is missing and it just isn't fireworks on her birthday. This is the tale of a woman's courage to not only reach out but within. What she discovers affects everyone around her, but all the while the reader will be rooting for her to succeed. Norma Seeley, Author

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